PUEBLO, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team wrapped up their series against the nationally ranked Colorado Chrisitan University Cougars on Monday afternoon. The Mountain Lion bats could never find momentum, as they were able to produce three hits in each of the two games, falling twice to the tenth ranked Cougars.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Game 1: UCCS 1, CCU 11 | Game 2: UCCS 0, CCU 9 (5 innings)
Records: UCCS (11-18, 8-12 RMAC), CCU (25-4, 17-3 RMAC)
Location: Rawlings Softball Complex | Pueblo, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions fall to 11-22 all-time against the Cougars.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- Autumn Kunze was given the starting nod for game one of Monday's doubleheader. Kunze surrendered a leadoff double that would come around to score in the top of the first inning. After that early hiccup, Kunze found her groove, retiring eight of the next nine batters she faced. During that stretch, she struck out four Cougar hitters and allowed only one baserunner. After three innings, CCU held a slight advantage of 1-0.
- The Cougars began to open up the game in the fourth inning, as Kenzie Middleton led off the inning with a solo homerun. CCU would tack on three more runs over the next two innings, growing their lead to 5-0 after five innings of action.
- The Mountain Lions finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning. A leadoff double, courtesy of Katelyn Kilgore, got UCCS in scoring position early in the frame. After advancing to third via a wild pitch, Jacquelynn Siefken brought Kilgore home on a sacrifice fly.
- Caydee Farnworth entered the game in relief of Kunze. Following a promising start, the sophomore pitcher ran into trouble in the sixth inning, as she gave up three extra base hits that resulted in two runs for CCU. The seventh inning was more of the same, as she gave up a double followed by a home run, growing the Cougar lead to 9-1. CCU would plate two more runs in the top of the seventh inning, winning the game by a final score of 11-1.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions were able to produce only three hits, with Izzy Giroux, Farnworth, and Kilgore all registering one hit a piece.
- Kunze was credited with the loss, pitching 4.1 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits. She also struck out four batters. Farnworth and Mackenzie Rutkoff both entered the game out of the bullpen, combining to pitch 2.2 innings. The pair allowed six earned runs on seven hits.
- The Cougars were led offensively by the Middleton sisters, who combined for six hits (three of which went for extra bases), three RBI and a stolen base.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- The Mountain Lions put themselves in an early hole to start game two of Monday's doubleheader. With Kailey Bond starting in the circle, she allowed two hits which put runners on the corners with one out. A throwing error followed by a wild pitch plated two runs for the Cougars, who led 2-0 in the top of the first inning.
- A pair of errors on the Mountain Lions defense led to three more runs coming across in the top of the third inning for CCU. The Cougars would add four more runs in the top of the fifth inning, notching an RBI on four hits over the course of five plate appearances.
- UCCS attempted to mount a comeback in the bottom of the fifth inning, as a leadoff walk drawn by Kilgore was followed by a Siefken single to put runners on the corners with no one out. However, the Mountain Lions attempted to steal second and were doubled up as Laynee Case popped out to first base, resulting in a double play. The Cougars ended the inning with a strikeout, completing their four-game sweep of the Mountain Lions, winning 9-0 in five innings.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME TWO
- Siefken paced the Mountain Lions with two of their three hits, as Jennavieve Goldsworth added a hit of her own.
- Bond was given the loss, as she allowed nine runs (seven earned) on 12 hits. She struck out two Cougar hitters over 4.1 innings of work. Kunze entered the game in relief and pitched 0.2 innings of scoreless softball.
- Six different CCU batters recorded at least one RBI, as they tallied 13 hits as a team. Hanna Espinoza was the winning pitcher, going four innings, allowing two hits and giving up no runs.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Mountain Lion's losing streak has now hit eight games, with their last victory coming on March 2nd against Chadron State College.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will travel to Denver, Colo., next weekend, as they kick off a four-game series against the Metropolitan State University Denver Roadrunners beginning on Friday, March 22nd. The first pitch of game one is scheduled for 3 p.m.
SOCIAL
Twitter – @GoMountainLions
Instagram – @gomountainlions
Facebook – GoMountainLions
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
